Can you film with a drone in Kyrgyzstan?

Registration with the State Civil Aviation Agency is mandatory for drones with a maximum take-off mass of 151 g and above. A lighter drone is exempt only if it carries no photo or video equipment, so any drone used for filming has to be registered. The application is filed within 10 working days of importing or acquiring the drone, and the agency reviews it within up to 10 working days.

Foreign companies and individuals can register a drone under temporary registration; a local company is not required for registration itself. A registered drone must carry a marking with its registration number in the format KG-CCNNN, the operator's name, contact and serial number. Drones are grouped by mass: C0 151-250 g, C1 up to 900 g, C2 up to 4 kg, C3 up to 25 kg and C4 above; the class sets the documents, marking size and safety distances.

For drones from 151 g to 4 kg the pilot needs an operator certificate issued after the agency's knowledge check; it is valid for 36 months. Candidates must be at least 18 and provide a medical certificate and certificates from the national psychiatry and narcology centres. Heavier drones (C3, C4) need a remote pilot licence. Foreign certificates and licences can be recognised if the agency finds them equivalent, possibly with an extra test on Kyrgyz air law.

The rules divide airspace into colour zones. In the green zone, away from settlements, people and infrastructure and up to 120 m above ground, no permit or notification is needed. In the yellow zone (settlements, individual people, infrastructure) the flight is notified to air traffic services at least 2 hours in advance. In the orange and red zones (key infrastructure, restricted areas, controlled airspace, flights over crowds) each operation needs a permit, which the agency issues within 3 days after receiving a complete set of documents.

Flights within 7 km of an aerodrome are prohibited unless agreed with air traffic services. Flights over specially protected objects are agreed with the national security body at least 5 working days ahead. Night flights are allowed when the drone and the landing site have lighting. During major events the agency announces temporary bans: in 2026 such bans covered set dates in Bishkek and the Issyk-Kul, Chuy and Talas regions.

A company that films from the air for third parties under a paid contract must hold a drone operator (exploitant) certificate; the agency reviews the application within 21 working days. Third-party liability insurance is mandatory for flights over settlements, people, infrastructure and vehicles, and not required for low-risk flights in uninhabited mountains.

Drones are on Kyrgyzstan's national control list of dual-use goods, and the Ministry of Economy stated in 2023 that their import and export are licensed. We have not found official guidance on how this applies to a drone that a foreign film crew brings temporarily, so we confirm the current procedure with the customs service and the aviation agency for each project before the crew travels.

We check each planned drone location against the agency's airspace map and the zone rules, prepare the registration and permit documents, plan lead times into the shooting schedule and check for temporary bans on the shooting dates. The paperwork starts as soon as the drone model and the pilot are known.